page_title: Moria (tree)
section_title: Overview
hierarchical_section_title: Moria (tree) / Overview
context_page_description: In ancient Greece, the moriai were olive trees considered to be the property of the state because of their religious significance.
context_section_description: From Attic Orators, vol. I. p. 289: 
  Throughout Attica, besides the olives which were private property (ἴδιαι ἐλαῖαι, Lys. or. 7 § 10) there were others which, whether on public or on private lands, were considered as the property of the State. They were called moriae (μορίαι)--the legend being that they had been propagated (μεμορημέναι) from the original olive which Athena herself had caused to spring up on the Acropolis. This theory was convenient for their conservation as State property, since, by giving them a sacred character, it placed them directly under the care of the Areiopagus, which caused them to be visited once a month by Inspectors (ἐπιμεληταί, Lys. or. 7 § 29), and once a year by special Commissioners (γνώμονες, ib. § 25). To uproot a moria was an offence punishable by banishment and confiscation of goods (ib. § 41).
  From Moriai: Sacred Arboriculture in Athens:
  Athena's gift to her protégés was the olive she planted on the sacred rock of the Acropolis. From this primordial olive twelve new trees were transplanted in the sanctuary of the hero Akademos and comprised a sacred grove. These trees, we are told by our ancient sources, were called moriai. The etymology remains obscure, but the most compelling explanation is the connection of the word moria with the stem μερ, which bears the meaning 'to be part of': the moriai were part of Athena's property.
caption: Poseidon and Athena battle for control of Attica (Athens)
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